The Trump Administration announced Monday a massive fraud investigation that has resulted in 324 defendants facing charges for more than $14.6 billion in welfare and health care fraud, including a man from Lewiston.
Joseph Dobie, 36, has been charged with identity theft and fraud for allegedly stealing the identity of a Puerto Rican man to fraudulently obtain over $6,000 in food assistance benefits and over $10,000 in Medicaid benefits, known in Maine as MaineCare, according to federal court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.
The Lewiston man faces charges of aggravated identity theft, making false statements in connection with health care matters, and the unlawful use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as detailed in a criminal complaint filed on June 6, 2025.
The alleged crimes began on March 21, 2023, and continued through June 6, 2025, involving a sophisticated scheme to exploit government benefit programs for personal gain.
Dobie was only caught as the result of a nationwide benefits fraud investigation that began shortly after Republican President Donald Trump was inaugurated into office in January.
According to the criminal complaint, the investigation began in January 2025 when federal investigators hunting for fraud detected J.V.S.’s identity receiving SNAP benefits in both Maine and Puerto Rico, prompting a deeper probe into the multi-state fraud.
The sweeping Trump Administration investigation that caught Dobie’s alleged welfare and MaineCare fraud also resulted in charges for 323 other defendants who are accused of stealing, cumulatively, more than $14.6 billion.
That’s roughly $2.6 billion more than the entire two-year budget Maine’s legislature enacted earlier this year.
